The following disclosure relates to the field of trailers, such as those that can be pulled by consumer and commercial vehicles.
Trailers have long been used for moving loads, large and small, behind vehicles, such as consumer and commercial vehicles. Generally, trailers have one or more sets of wheels that allow the trailer to roll freely behind a towing vehicle. And like vehicles, the deck or base of a trailer is generally elevated from the ground in order that the trailer has clearance to negotiate obstacles, uneven surfaces, etc.
An issue that arises with trailers, however, is that the deck level needs to have sufficient ground clearance for safe and effective operation in many environments, such as on- and off-road. Consequently, any load that is to be placed on the trailer needs to be first lifted to the level of the trailer deck. For large and/or heavy loads, this can be problematic for an individual user and may require additional (and sometimes heavy) machinery.
A ramp is one solution to the aforementioned problem of getting large and/or heavy loads onto a trailer. For example, one or more ramps may be used to roll large and/or heavy loads, such as an automobile or other vehicle, onto the deck of a trailer. While ramps work well in this manner, their use is not without important compromises. For example, the ramps must usually be transported along with the trailer so that the load may subsequently be unloaded via the ramps. And the need to transport the one or more ramps with the trailer may add significant weight and take up significant space on the trailer, limiting the effective load capacity of the trailer.
Another issue with using a ramp to load a trailer is the angle of the ramp with respect to the ground. For example, where a vehicle with a small ground clearance is to be loaded onto a trailer with a large ground clearance via ramps, those ramps may need significant length in order that the approach angle via the ramps is one the vehicle can negotiate without impediment. Unfortunately, increasing the length of the ramps increases the weight and spatial volume of the ramps, which increases the burden of using and carrying them.
Accordingly, there is a need for trailers that can be loaded more easily without having to carry significant additional equipment, such as ramps, and which can accommodate loads with limited ground clearance.